Brookens 1

Andrew Brookens
Eng 111
Stefan Britt
14 October 2015
Critical Reflection of AMS Essay
In my English 111 class, we were prompted to write an Academic MultiSource essay. After reading a handful of articles on the ways of adult
learning and the influences that effect it, I quickly realized one of the biggest
problems in todays education system. Many of todays students focus their
ways of learning material purely to receive a good grade. These ways of
learning may cause students to not learn, but memorize the material to take
a test, and then forget the material immediately after. Throughout the whole
writing process, I tried to develop my main viewpoints, include quotes from
credited authors, have synthesis between authors and my ideas, and to be
focused throughout.
There were many academic articles that I read before I even began to
think about writing this essay. These articles all differed, but were similar in
the fact that they talked about the positives and negatives in todays adult
learning. One article in particular really stuck out to me and pushed me to
view the education system in a different way. It made me view learning as
memorizing instead of learning as enriching ones mind. I arrived at this
viewpoint, mainly, after reading Paulo Frieires The Banking Concept of
Education. The way he described learning in todays classroom really stuck

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with me and influenced my thought throughout my paper. I could easily
relate to his viewpoint that teachers deposit knowledge and then withdraw it
back on tests. Many students, including myself, tend to cram information into
their brain during the night, or even hours before a test, only to retain
information long enough to take that test. This main viewpoint then
dispersed into sub-points including, the fear of failure, quantitative vs.
qualitative learners, and students that are uninterested in the learning.
These subjects all included thoughts from published authors as well, to make
my ideas feel even more supported. All these points made one thing stick out
to me: The importance of a high GPA has changed the motives for adult
learning. However, before researching as deeply as I did, I understood the
importance of good grades, but, never was able to problematize this. I never
realized how the drive to achieve success could make students alter their
ways of learning and hurt them in the long run. I always thought that as long
as I was earning good grades, I was going to learn deeply. Now, I realize
there is a difference between surface and deep-level learners.
It took me awhile to choose what sources I would be using. I knew from
the beginning I would be picking out quotes from John Tagg and Paulo Freire.
These sources naturally stuck out to me and went along very well with the
ideas I was discussing. They were able to provide support in a different way
than what I ideas originally suggested, which made it easier to provide
synthesis between the sources. However, the sources Mary Shelley and Bell
Hooks did not come as easily to me. I had to reread many articles to find

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exactly what I was looking for. They stuck out to me because they suggested
ideas I never thought of that could change the motives of learning, which fit
right in with my thesis and ideas.
During my writing process, I changed the quotes I used a number of
times. When I was in the creation process of the paper, I would find a quote I
liked, but, the way I analyzed it compared to what the author was actually
saying would take his words out of context. This made me try to find a quote
that would fit in to my thoughts but also stay true to the original authors
ideas. I think the quotes I ended up choosing were respective to this. They
were able to portray what the author was saying and fit in to my ideas all
while tying the authors and my view points together.
One of the hardest parts of writing this paper, for me, was being able
to analyze and synthesize ideas successfully. Another problem I had was
keeping my essay focused. I would tend to talk about each of my points too
much, to the point where each of my body paragraphs would talk about a
different idea so much that it wouldnt even relate back to what my main
point was. I was disappointed with my first grade on the AMS paper because
I knew how much time and effort I had put into that paper. However, I still
felt motivated to be successful, so that below average grade drove me to
discover new ways of writing and reach out for help. Numerous trips to the
library and help from the writing center helped me develop stronger
synthesis. The professors there pointed out ways I could dig deeper and new

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ways I could tie articles together. I think this helped me develop a paper with
stronger synthesis, less awkwardness, and more focused.
I think from the first draft to the final, my essay became a lot more
complex. I realized I needed to go more in depth and analyze my own
thoughts into the paper, instead of just using the quotes to support my
paper. At the beginning, my essay was set up as 3 main points that
supported the main point in their own unique way. In the end, I believe that
my essay was set up in a way that all 3 body paragraphs intertwined ideas
and thoughts, including my own, to come back and fully support the main
point.
All in all, I understand how to right a successful AMS paper. From the
beginning, I questioned what I was supposed to include and which articles to
use. However, the deeper I dug and the more time I dedicated to this essay,
the more I realized what this essay was all about. This reflection made me
realize that during the process of writing this paper, I transitioned from a
surface-level learner into the deep-level learner. This very well could have fit
right into the AMS essay I wrote, as it supports my newfound beliefs. I hope
to carry the knowledge I obtained throughout the creation of my essay into
many classes to come, pushing myself to dig deeper instead of just trying to
get a good grade.